Town of Saugerties, New York Building Permit Guide

For property in the Town of Saugerties outside the village, building permits come from the town Department of Safety and Buildings at 4 High Street (845-246-2800 ext. 333), open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Every permit carries a $75 application fee on top of the permit fee, residential work is charged $0.75 per square foot under the schedule effective January 8, 2026, and the Village of Saugerties issues its own permits.

What requires a building permit in the Town of Saugerties?

Section 96-4 of the Town Code requires a permit for work that must meet the Uniform Code, the Property Code or the Energy Code, including the construction, enlargement, alteration, improvement, removal, relocation or demolition of a building or structure and the installation of a solid-fuel heater, chimney or flue. The town’s one general application covers new buildings, building changes, signs and swimming pools, and the fee schedule names the rest.

Building without a permit costs 50% of the permit fee, at least $300, on top of the application and permit fees.

What the town decides and what the state holds

Construction standards are the state’s Uniform Code and Energy Code; the town posts its own climatic and geographic design criteria table for snow, wind and frost values. Saugerties itself writes the zoning law (Chapter 245) with its district overlay maps, flood damage prevention, freshwater wetlands, historic preservation, the short-term rental law and the fee schedule. A building standard stricter than the state’s would need Code Council approval.

Saugerties building department: who handles permitting

The Department of Safety and Buildings is both the building and the zoning office. Sean Weaver became Building Inspector and Zoning Administrator in June 2026, after the long-time inspector retired; an assistant building inspector (ext. 330) and two clerks (ext. 333 and ext. 331) staff the office, and short-term rental applications can be picked up in the Building Department lobby at Town Hall. The town department serves the whole town outside the village.

The Village of Saugerties runs its own code enforcement. Its Code Enforcement Officer reviews applications against the state codes and village local laws and issues building permits, demolition permits and certificates of occupancy or compliance inside the village, and the village posts its building forms under a heading shared with its Historic Review Board. The town’s short-term rental application, for example, is marked for the Town of Saugerties only.

Saugerties permit types and filing

The town uses one Application for Building Permit for all jobs plus a plot plan form; separate forms cover site plans and special use permits, subdivisions and lot lines, zoning changes and short-term rentals. Pay by check to the Town of Saugerties, and expect the town to bill engineering, legal and consulting costs back to you, sometimes through an escrow account set up before the permit issues.

Residential permits

New construction over 144 square feet, and renovations costing more than $20,000, need two sets of plans signed and stamped by a New York engineer or architect, and the department may ask for stamped plans for any work that affects structure. The original signed set stays with the town and the second comes back with the permit. Smaller renovations need a narrative or drawn plans. A new house also needs two copies of the survey, the well log, a backflow preventer or RPZ on public water, a certificate that the concrete aggregate meets ASTM C33, RESCheck energy compliance and a plot plan showing setbacks, lot coverage, stormwater and erosion control.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit applications, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

Commercial and industrial buildings are charged $0.60 per square foot plus the application fee, with COMcheck in place of RESCheck. Fire and safety inspections cost $125, operating permits $50, and a third or fourth inspection to clear violations adds $100 and then $125. Commercial solar is $9,000 and battery storage $4,500 per megawatt of capacity, plus the application fee.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial building permits through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

If the project needs them, the signed Planning Board site plan, the ZBA approval, the filed subdivision map with fees and bonds, and driveway approval from the town, county or state road owner come before the permit. On a private septic lot the Ulster County Department of Health must first issue its permit to construct the sewage system. Building in the 100-year flood plain also triggers the stamped-plan rule and needs a floodplain development permit from the Building Inspector, whom Chapter 129 appoints local flood administrator. The town also regulates freshwater wetlands on the DEC map and up to 100 feet around them. Exterior work, demolition, new construction or a move on a designated landmark or in a town historic district needs a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission under Chapter 145; the Building Inspector keeps those applications, and there is no fee.

Short-term rentals

Under Chapter 194, adopted in 2022, every short-term rental in the town needs an operating permit from the Building Department, applied for by the property owner with the scheduled fee. Only single-family homes and permitted accessory apartments on the same parcel qualify; two-family and multifamily units do not. A permit does not pass to a new owner, and each rental must pass a yearly fire and safety inspection, with the report attached to the permit and each annual renewal.

Saugerties permit fees

The Building Department Fee Schedule approved by the Town Board is headed effective January 8, 2026 (the web link says January 1). Every permit pays the $75 application fee plus its permit fee, with a $125 minimum permit fee. If an application is not approved, half the fee is refunded; nothing is refunded once a permit is approved or issued.

Example: a 400-square-foot heated addition costs 400 × $0.75 = $300 plus the $75 application fee, $375 in all. The schedule’s cost table for alterations runs from $50 for jobs up to $1,000 to $540 for $49,001 to $50,000, then $10 per $1,000 above that, so a $25,000 solar installation is $290 plus the $75 application fee.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical. Electrical work takes its own permit ($75 application fee plus $50). The department has asked every electrician to make sure they appear on Ulster County’s list of licensed master electricians. County Code Chapter 185 makes the county license mandatory for anyone in the electrical contracting business in Ulster County, except workers employed and supervised by a licensee; a homeowner may work on their own detached single-family house over a year old within the limits of section 185-9, which exclude pool and spa wiring, generator transfer switches and repairs required at a sale. Rough-in and final electrical inspections are made by a third-party inspector on the town’s approved list, updated in July 2026.

Plumbing, heating and energy. The town has no plumber licensing law; plumbing, heating, air conditioning and solid-fuel appliances are permitted at the same $50 fee, and every plumbing job gets pressure and waste tests with no exceptions. The town also keeps a list of energy code inspectors (March 2025) whose reports support energy code compliance.

Insurance. Builders and contractors file the town’s required insurance information, including workers’ compensation and disability coverage or the state exemption form.

How to apply for a Saugerties building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

A code enforcement officer reviews the stamped plans for compliance with the state codes before the permit is granted. Changes to approved plans are charged the extra permit fees they generate, and further plan review is a flat $100. Projects that need consultants’ review can wait on an escrow deposit, and work must start within 6 months or the permit is void with no refund.

Saugerties inspections and certificates

A contractor may book inspections, but the town holds the property owner primarily responsible for calling the Department of Safety and Buildings, at 845-246-2800 ext. 333, with at least 48 hours’ notice; emergency inspections are fitted in as time allows. Depending on the job the inspector checks the footing excavation, forms before any concrete pour, foundation waterproofing and footing drains, framing and rough plumbing with pressure and waste tests, fireplaces, fire blocking and chimney chases, solid-fuel appliances, insulation and ventilation, decks, carports, garages and pools, and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Electrical rough-in and final are done by the third-party electrical inspector.

The final inspection leads to the certificate of occupancy or compliance. Chapter 96 makes a permit invalid if work has not started within six months and lets it expire after 12 months; a one-year extension costs $150, at most twice, and a permit that expired with the work finished must still be renewed before the certificate issues.

New York building code

New York builds on one statewide code, the Uniform Code, outside New York City; the 2025 edition and 2025 Energy Code took effect on 31 December 2025 (the all-electric provisions remain suspended by court order). Cities, towns and villages administer it, and local standards stricter than the code need Code Council approval. The Uniform Code in New York

Town of Saugerties permit FAQ

Does the town Building Department issue permits in the Village of Saugerties?

No. The village’s Code Enforcement Officer issues building and demolition permits and certificates inside the village; call the village code office at 845-246-2321 ext. 4.

How much is a building permit for a house in Saugerties?

$0.75 per square foot plus the $75 application fee under the schedule effective January 8, 2026; the minimum permit fee is $125.

Do I need a permit for a shed?

Not for a one-story detached shed of 144 square feet or less at a house; larger sheds are accessory structures at $0.50 per square foot plus the application fee.

When are stamped plans required?

For new construction over 144 square feet, renovations over $20,000 and work in the 100-year flood plain, or whenever an inspector asks.

How much notice does the office need for an inspection?

At least 48 hours, and the owner is primarily responsible for calling.

Who inspects electrical work?

A third-party inspector from the town’s approved list, after the work is done by an Ulster County licensed electrician or a qualifying homeowner.

Do short-term rentals need town approval?

Yes. Chapter 194 requires an operating permit from the Building Department and a yearly fire and safety inspection; only single-family homes and permitted accessory apartments qualify.

Is Saugerties in FEMA’s flood insurance program?

Yes. FEMA lists the Town of Saugerties as participating with a current map dated November 18, 2016, and the Village of Saugerties as a separate participating community.

Saugerties permit search and official resources

For a property’s permit and certificate history, file the town’s No Violations / Certificate of Occupancy and Records Search Request ($150). Other town records are requested from the Town Clerk or Deputy Town Clerk, the records access officers under Chapter 52. Permits and certificates for village properties are kept by the village, so ask the Village Clerk at 43 Partition Street or the village code office for those files.

• Town of Saugerties Department of Safety and Buildings
• Application for Building Permit
• Building Department fee schedule, effective January 8, 2026
• Town-approved third-party electrical inspectors (July 2026)
• No Violations / Certificate of Occupancy and Records Search Request
• Town Code Chapter 96, Construction Codes, Uniform
• Town of Saugerties Zoning Law, Chapter 245
• Village of Saugerties Code Enforcement, Buildings and Zoning
• Ulster County Electrical Licensing Law, Chapter 185
• Ulster County Department of Health sewage disposal systems
• NYS Uniform Code adoption notice

Simplify Town of Saugerties permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in New York. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Town of Saugerties permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.